Bidding Farewell to January!

I decided that today was a good day to bid farewell to the winter corner tree and get ready to welcome February. I took off all the snowmen and snowflake ornaments and replaced them with hearts and other red and white with a bit of pink sprinkled in ornaments. It still isn't complete...I don't think. I have a couple of other additions in mind plus will add a more appropriate tree skirt (which doesn't show in the photo). The blue and white tree skirt with snowflakes and a snowman doesn't bother me when I am just sitting here, but when I photographed the tree and it showed, it sort of stuck out like a sore thumb...so I will look in the fabrics that I have, but will probably go buy some Valentine yardage and scrunch it around the base of the tree. I still have to work on the Valentine display in my antique scoop. But at least I have the transition started. The winter ornaments are all packed back up in their box. I will leave out the trees and other snowmen that I have out, as winter is still very much still with us. I continued to work on organizing recipes today...I am closer to having them all in one recipe notebook or another so they aren't floating loosely all over the place. My other accomplishment of the day was getting a haircut. I'm always glad when haircut day comes...one of my favorite days out of the month! I did stitch a little more last night on my Bristol sampler and the alphabet now has an "A", a "B", and half of a "C". So moving along...but ever so far to go! I'm not sure how many complete alphabets this sampler has...but quite a few...at least five before I can start on several styles of numbers. Woody has had a quiet day...crossword puzzles and TV and resting. I got a bit of a late start on supper. He wanted tacos and I needed to make the meat concoction for the tacos. That is done. He has enjoyed his tacos and now all that is left for me to do is put away the taco fixings and get the dishes into the dishwasher and wash the rest by hand...at that point our day is about done. I still need to dress his leg wound and put antibiotic cream below the wound on his lower leg. Then we can call it the end of another day...and, today can call it the end of another month. Tomorrow we will begin anew...both for the day and month! We'll be up and going early again in the morning. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

It’s a Start!

I started a new sampler today...a very BIG sampler. And, what better place to start than with an "A!" I cut a piece of linen 36" by 36". That allows for generous margins for framing...also extra in case I didn't figure right about the finished size. This piece will be stitched totally in red. It is a sampler from a large group known as Bristol Samplers. George Müller and his wife had an orphanage in Bristol, England in the 1800s. One of the things that the children (boys included) was to stitch a sampler...this gave them practice with their ABCs but also gave them something to recommend them when they sought a position in a home to work. The girls, expecially, needed this skill to be able to "mark" their mistresses linens. The reproduction sampler that I am stitching was made by two sisters, Mary and Eliza. They stitched their sampler when they were 14-15 and 13-14. I will tell you more about the girls as I stitch along...there is a bit of an interesting twist on this sampler as it is called by two names: The Daniel Sisters 1875 and also The Dirty Bird Sampler. More about the second name as I go along with the stitching...this may not get done in my lifetime. One of the errands that I ran this morning, while Woody was at dialysis, was a stop at Hobby Lobby. According to the instructions included with this sampler, I needed to buy ten skeins of embroidery thread. I will say that it was hard to find ten skeins of any red in the floss section at Hobby Lobby...but I managed. So now I will get a special project bag to keep this special stitching piece in along with the 10 skeins of floss as I don't want to lose it. It is best to buy the thread you will use all at one time so it comes from the same dye lot. I was successful in the errand at Hobby Lobby, but my other errand didn't go as well. I need to get my glasses fixed some more, but once again the folk in the eyeglasses place were not going to be there today...and probably not tomorrow...oh, well, I guess I can go with them slanted a little longer. I thought that they had been adjusted, but I'm thinking that as swelling in my face went down then the glasses were no longer adjusted correctly...or I may have just messed them up again. Anyway, that little task didn't get completed. Woody had a good dialysis treatment today. He got a good report from his monthly labs...most everything was on the positive side...a good thing. Donna and I worked in the library this afternoon. We got on top of things that had slid during both the holidays and the snow days and we also got the next steps done on processing a group of books...they are now ready to be covered either with contact paper or a book jacket. So we left work for next week! We enjoyed catching up with each other! On my way home, I stopped at our pharmacy and picked up a prescription for Woody. I think that we good on both our meds for a while...well, we are still waiting for one of his meds to arrive that gets ordered from the Fresenius pharmacy...a dialysis med to keep his phosphorus level down. When I got home, Woody had news that friends of ours from when we lived in California had called and that they are planning on coming to see us in a couple of months...that was nice news. It has been some time since we have seen them. They have been to Tullahoma a couple of times and we have been to see them in Florida, where they now reside, once. That about sums up our day. I will go finish in the kitchen and then perhaps stitch a "B". To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday, Monday!

Except for prayer meeting tonight, it has been a stay-at-home day. I spent the morning pretty much in the kitchen. I decided today was the day to cook a pork loin roast. Before I put it in the oven I cut off about a pound and cubed it up and put it in the freezer for future sweet 'n sour pork. Then I roasted the rest of it. After it was done, I made gravy. I needed gravy for the next time that I make enchiladas. We also used some of the gravy for lunch and had hot pork sandwiches. Pretty tasty! This afternoon I recovered from all my cooking. Woody has done his usual crossword puzzles and TV watching and resting. I went to prayer meeting for the first time since just before Christmas...we planned to not have orayer meeting on Christmas and New Years...but the other two weeks we had not planned on the snowy/icy roads to keep us away. It was good to be back. Woody made his way over to the couch while I was away...so guess he is ready to call it a day...hoping to get rest so he can be up and at um early in the morning! I have a little more to do in the kitchen and then I will head upstairs for the night...hoping to do a little reading and stitching. Last night I spent some time putting away embroidery floss that I had used on a piece that I have finished. I've also been sorting through recipes...deciding which recipes to keep that I had printed off and decide where it is best to put them so they can be found again...those that I chose to keep. I just had too many loose recipe papers laying around! Maybe I'll get them put in a notebook tomorrow. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite

Saturday

Another off-and-on-rainy day...but both times that we were on our back and forth trips, it was only a very light rain, if it was raining at all. So we stayed high and dry on our trips transferring to and from the car. Woody said that his dialysis treatment went for the most part pretty well, though he did have a time of low blood pressure towards the end of his treatmeht. We came home and stayed in the rest of the day. He finished his crossword puzzles...today is Saturday and a couple of the puzzles are extra hard which means that he usually doesn't get them finished at dialysis...needs some more help which he can get from his crossword helps at home. He got those done and has sat around most the rest of the day. He has already settled on his couch/bed. While Woody was at dialysis, I worked on finalizing the Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. I have done a little stitching and a little reading. I have stayed out of the kitchen except to get our meals. I'm about to load up the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and finish in the kitchen for today. I have a load of towels in the dryer to fold and another load of clothes to put into the dryer...but for the most part I am "finished" for the day. I hope to be able to do a little stitching or reading before bedtime. Tomorrow will be another day! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Back and Forth

Today was a day of going back and forth...10am left to go to wound care. That visit went fine. The doctor and the gentleman who we went to see last Wednesday are working together to figure out a type of "brace" that will work for Woody. He has ordered one that we will try the next time we go to see him. The doctor wants him to come up with a clam-shell-type brace. He came up with the idea that it might include his foot which would keep the brace from working its way down. All sounds complicated...but they have their heads together trying to figure out something that will help Woody keep his leg stable. We go back to see the wound care doctor in two weeks. And, I guess we wait to hear from the gentleman about the brace...or whatever. We got back home a little after noon...just in time for lunch. We ate lunch and then I guess we were both worn out because we both dozed off. I was very thankful that I thought to set an alarm when I sat down to supposedly do some needlework...but ended up in a nap. We left a few minutes before 2pm to go for his oncology/Keytruda appointment. I left him in the waiting room and was back home around 2:30pm. I worked on getting a pot of soup put together while I waited for the call to pick him up. That came at 4pm so back I went, got him in the car, and headed home. He was in his recliner by 4:30. I finished the soup. But we both decided that so many comings and goings were pretty exhausting! Woody headed to his bed/couch pretty soon after we had supper...enjoyed that good hot freshly made soup. Woody was looking forward to it warming him up, as the oncology rooms were extra cold today and he needed to warm up! He headed to the bed so he could pile on throws as he still isn't very warm. His labs were quite good. His hemoglobin continues to rise and today was above the goal that is set for him at dialysis (still low for most men, but on dialysis and for him...it was good). His white count was also good. I got busy cleaning up the kitchen so I could head upstairs as soon as I could after I got Woody settled for the night. Nathan, Kathy, and Joseph stopped by while we were getting Woody settled. The rest of Joseph's gift finally arrived so they stopped so we could give it to him. We visited for a little while and then they were on their way. We have all enjoyed a dry and mild day...spring-like! I even see my daffodils little heads popping up out of the ground...hope they aren't getting over anxious to get above ground. We better not get too used to a nice day as rain is approaching and supposed to be very rainy tomorrow. I expect that we will be going to dialysis in the rain at 6am...but at least today all our back and forthing was done high and dry and mid 50s to mid 60s. I understand the temperature is going to go back down next week...but not as drastic as it was last week. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Rainy-Stormy Thursday

It has been a do-a-little-of-everything day...and, in saying that, I can also say that not a lot has been accomplished! I did get shrimp scampi and rice pilaf made for supper...and, the mess is about cleaned up. The dishwasher is going, the dishes that couldn't go in the dishwasher are washed, counters are wiped off...the only thing left is to wipe off the stove and it's still not cool enough to wipe off. I'll do that when I go back down to dress Woody's leg wound. Dialysis went well today as far as Woody knows. We went to dialysis in a light rain and fog, but when I got him both the fog and rain had let up and there were even a few sightings of blue sky as I drove to the center. Before picking Woody up, I picked up two medications for Woody at the pharmacy. Once I got Woody home from dialysis, neither of us left the house again...well, I did go out and get the mail and sloshed out to the compost pile when it wasn't raining. We had a thunderstorm and very heavy rain for a time this afternoon. Woody said that the first clap of thunder surprised him. My iPad had warned me so it wasn't as much of a surprise for me. I have studied Sunday's Sunday School lesson (I'm teaching), stitched a little, and chose the next book that I'm going to read. I believe that I dozed in my chair a couple of times today...that happens when you are my age and get up at 4:30am! I'm pretty tired tonight. Tomorrow is going to be busy, too. Woody has a wound care appointment late morning and TN Oncology (Keytruda infusion) in the afternoon...lots of coming and going. I go to the wound care appointment, but I take him and leave him for his oncology appointment and pick him up about two hours later. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

They were Right! I was Wrong!

All the predictions for lots of rain today were spot on! I mentioned last night that we would have a stay-at-home day with no where to go...so we could stay high and dry. Well...I decided to call about getting a consulation appointment that Woody's wound care doctor wanted him to have. I called and she said that we could come in this afternoon at 2pm (100% chance of rain at that time). We hated to pass up the opportunity to have the appointment prior to his wound care appointment on Friday so we trudged out in the rain and drove through pretty heavy rain. The appointment was in a little town just down the road, Estill Springs, which is only about 15 minutes away...but the idea of driving in heavy rain was not my idea of how I wanted to spend any part of our afternoon. But we did and we saw the gentleman about a possible brace for Woody to wear on his leg since the one we have is no longer working. He knows what he wants Woody to use, but...couldn't pin point it while we were there. He is going to continue to search and then text me with the specific one he wants us to order. We came home in even harder rain...but made it safely. We both took naps upon our return! The other thing that happened on our way there was that a light came on about our tire pressure being low. Nathan is coming by to check it after he is finished with church tonight. We don't want to wake up to a flat tire in the morning! It was raining too hard when we got home for me to even look at the tires. Our car is sort of smart...but not smart enough to tell us which tire so he will have to check each one. I'm hoping that it isn't raining when he comes by. The rain had let up when I went out for the mail a little after 5pm...part of Joseph's present finally came today...so if Nathan comes in I will send it Joseph's way. Last I heard Joseph was feeling much better. I was told that the rest of my packages/order would arrive today...but only one package arrived...I wonder if the mailman just missed that it was there...or...it it was there but only one would fit in the mailbox and he/she didn't want to get out in the rain to put it on the porch...probably will never know! Okay back to last night's discussion that we were trying to pindown the date of Woody's mom's death. My sister came through for us...her detective work online paid off and she found the actual day she died. I had come up with the year and the day that the we had the graveside service, but hadn't come up with the actual date...though at that point it had to be a few days before the service. One of the things that I did today was to put back ALL the file folders that I had gotten out in my futile search. I enjoyed looking through the files...lots of memories in each file folder...in case our children end up wondering why their mother kept what she kept in each of these file folders! Doubt that as many memories come to them when they come to cleaning out the things that I have kept over the years! I have told them...not to wonder why I kept anything...mostly just get rid of things without even looking at them unless they have their family's name on them...or probably it would be good to look in the year folders as they have misc. things in them that have to do with both their families...I have gotten rid of some things. I used to clip lots of recipes from magazines and would go through them when looking for something new and different to try...but these days I don't feel that I need those as I can easily look for recipes online for just about anything that I want. I have gotten rid of "some" of my recipe book collection...but still hold onto the special ones and probably some that I don't need to keep, but just haven't seen fit to part with "yet!" If I got rid of more I could free up more upper cabinet space...maybe one day I will get rid of more when I can't figure out what to do with something that I need a space for in the kitchen...but until then I have them to look through when the whim strikes...I use one shelf of cookbooks often...the top shelf...not so much. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Tonight's photo is taken out our back window showing all the standing puddles in the back yard...puddles everywhere some look like ponds and some look like streams. Lots of rain and more coming over the next days...oh, boy. Weatherbug says 100% chance of rain in the morning at 6am when we head to dialysis. But the temperatures are very mild...upper 50s today so at least we aren't freezing when outside!

We're Sprung!

We hava been sprung from our snow captivity...finally! This morning it was almost 50° when we left the house at 6am...but didn't feel very balmy with the breeze and the fact that it was still dark. We made it with no problems to dialysis. He had a good treatment. I think that the nurses and patients were all glad to be back in "routine." I came home and had breakfast and worked on a grocery list. About an hour before time to pick Woody up, I headed out to run a couple errands first...the Credit Union and WalMart. I got Woody home and we had lunch before I headed off to get groceries. There were a lot of sprung folk in the grocery store, but I muddled through and got most of what was on my list. One of Woody's request was radishes...no radishes at Kroger. And, I needed zucchini for one of our soups...no zucchini at Kroger. But I didn't let that deter me, I continued on and found the rest of the items on my list. Got those through the checker and headed home. I put away the things that needed to be in the refrigerator and then headed to the grocery store down the street to see if they could accomodate me when Kroger couldn't...and, they did have both radishes and zucchini plus I got the ground pork that they have that I can use for Woody's breakfast sausage. That can go in the freezer till I need to make the next batch. I got home and was very ready to sit down in my chair, but I got a text from Nathan. He needed some family tree questions answered. I got most of the info fairly easily, but got hung on the month, date, and year when Woody's mother passed away. I have touchstones in my memory that help me get to information that I need, but I just could not get to a way to figure out the year...until...I remembered what dress Erin, our oldest granddaughter, wore on the day of the funeral. I opened up my photo files on my laptop and went to the file that contains my sewing projects over the years and found that dress I had made for Erin. And, the data that is on each photo told e the year. Then I was able to go to my pictures of that year and find out the month...because it was a trip for all of us to St. Louis. So then I had the month, but I still haven't figured out or remembered the exact day she died on. We did a family led graveside service so no memorial information from a funeral home. I will put my hands on something that will get me to the exact day...maybe! I got into the file folder that I have for that year...one thing that will get me closer to the date will be the tickets for the St. Louis Cardinal ball game that we went to that weekend. With those tickets...I will be able to know the date of the funeral. Just being a detective...for something that we should know! After my "resesarch" for Nathan, I got the rest of the groceries put away and then we had supper. Oh, I found my ov'glove and one of the potholders today. I was searching for something on an upper shelf in the pantry and I happened to glance over to where my hot pads are stacked along with my aprons and saw the opening of the ov' glove. And, I was right that I hadn't seen it since our family Christmas and I was also right that maybe the Proctors had something to do with its disappearance. We had gotten down some hot pads to place the hot dishes on and when the hot pads got put away so did my ov' glove and a pot holder...so the lost has been found...and got found before my replacement ov' glove arrived in the mail. I will be glad to have two...the reason that I went on and ordered another. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

This Sweet Cowboy is 10!

I borrowed this picture from his sister Esther's Facebook page...an up-to-date photo...taken with one of the twin kids born on a very cold and snowy day! Joseph got something for his birthday that he wasn't wishing for...the flu. His brothers and sisters shared what they had last week. This is a time that I'm sure that he wished they hadn't shared! Just think all 9 of our grandchildren are now double digits in age. Joseph became two handfuls today...his family better watch out! Feel better, Joseph. Our gifts to him are taking their time getting here due to inclement weather. Today was the first time we have gotten mail in a week...and no packages were among them. We keep getting notificaitons that they are delayed and will get here eventually! We had another quiet stay-at-home day. We are assuming that dialysis will be on a normal schedule tomorrow since we didn't hear from them today. So it will be up and at um early in the morning. In he end our prayer meeting decided to wait till next week to get back to meeting since there are still ice patches on the road. Nathan said that it is slick at both ends of our road. One thing good...it's supposed to stay above freezing all night tonight. Finally it is warming up. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautioous!

There is Hope!

Not a lot to blog about tonight...and, it's Sunday so I don't always blog on Sunday. But I wanted to show the progress on our roads thawing out...at least a little...you can see that there is black under the white sheet of ice and snow! Today was sunny most of the day so we had thawing despite the fact that the high was only 32°. The low tonight is supposed to "only" be 22° and, tomorrow we are supposed to get into the upper 40s...so hopefully the rest of our driveway and road snow and ice will melt away. I think that once we rise above freezing tomorrow, we are supposed to stay above freezing for a few days. I guess what doesn't melt away tomorrow will be washed away once the rains settle in. We have had a quiet day. Woody has watched some football, done his puzzles, and just lounged around. I dug around and found ingredients for hamburger stroganoff...we both enjoyed it for lunch. I got the kitchen cleaned up and then went upstairs to stitch for a while...stitching ime once again turned into napping time! Since Inhad a good afternoon nap, I plan to have my stitching time tonight. I'm heading back downstairs to dress wounds and get Woody settled for the night and make myself a cup of tea and head back upstairs for the night. That about sums up our day. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Frigid and Frozen…STILL!!!!!!

Nathan came again this morning a little before 8am to take Woody to dialysis. I think of the three mornings this week, this is the first that they got there probably about on time (8:20). Nathan said that the main roads were in good shape...BUT...get on roads like our side roads and they were worse than earlier in the week. Tonight's photos were taken a little before 3pm. You can tell that not a lot of melting went on today. It stayed in the mid teens most of the day...once it got out of single digits. When this was taken it was 14° with a windchill of 0°! Just too cold! I haven't heard anyone saying that they are enjoying this extended period of snow/ice/frigid temperatures! Just about all are very ready to be done with this! It is only supposed to get to 32°, but Monday the temperatures are supposed to be rising into the upper 40s and it is supposed to rain..maybe...hopefully that will get this ice off our roads. I am hoping that I will be able to take Woody to dialysis on Tuesday. But till then we are staying inside. Our church has cancelled Sunday School and Worship service tomorrow due to extreme cold and continued bad road conditions. So that means that we have no reason to leave the house until Tuesday morning. I had my Zoom Cottey College Alum bookclub today. We had an enjoyable discussion...a nice safe way for me to get out of the house and visit with others! This "lock-down" due to weather has brought back memories of lock-down during Covid...glad that they end is in sight for this one! Woody had a good dialysis day...once again just a three hour session. He said that as far as he could tell the usual group of patients were there...all were making it in. I had thought that I would order groceries to be delivered...I got a message back that I had to put in another address if I wanted them delivered! I thought that was funny...wonder who I could have sent oir groceries to! But I guess they are not delivering in Tullahoma due to road conditions. We are not in dire need of groceries...it's just that I am having to become creative with what I fix as I have made all the meals that I had planned for the last trip to the store...so I have dug around in the pantry and freezer to come up with a few more to get us through to the thaw in a couple of days! One thing that I was glad that I had in the freezer...the bones from the last whole chicken I had cooked...with the cost of chicken these days. I freeze the carcus if I am not in need of broth at the time that I roast the chicken. So today I made chicken broth that will be the base for one of the recipes that I am going to make tomorrow. I have the broth chilling so I can skim the fat from it before I use it. On days like these, it is even more understood why some refer to chicken broth/stock as "liquid gold." I used up the last of my chicken broth when I made Chili Mac earlier in the week...technically that was supposed to have had beef broth in it, but Kroger was out of Swanson's no-salt beef broth so I opted to use my chicken broth...but then there was none in the freezer. Now I will have some to make my next concoction and will have some to freeze also...always good to have some on hand. I continued to do little cleaning jobs around the house. Today I worked on cleaning Woody's bathroom. I almost had it finished, but it was time for mu Zoom book club so I left the rest till later...well, later hasn't come yet...maybe tomorrow!! Snow days are lazy days!!! I have Woody settled for tonight along with putting antibiotic cream on his leg. I still have a couple of dishes to wash...but not many as I already ran the dishwasher with all the messy chicken borth pans...have a few of those left to take out of the dishwasher. I'll put in what we have used this evening and close the door on the dishwasher for today to add more tomorrow. My next task will be to make sure faucets are dripping and then I am going to settle in with my needlework. Woody has a football game on TV...don't know if he is watching or dozing! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Not Much Change!

Tonight's photo shows what it looked like out our kitchen window a little after noon...still way too much white! Not a lot of melting took place today. It did get into the mid thirties for a short time today. The ramp is in good shape except fot the flat part outside the back door. I swept off the wet and then put a towel out to try to soak up the wet before things started refreezing late this afternoon...I also put out some more salt. I'm hoping that what I did will help it be okay in the morning. The area on our driveway that our neighbor shoveled and scraped os on great shape. Nathan is planning to come over around 8am and take Woody to dialysis. It is another 2-hour delay and a shortening of the treatment by one hour. We have stayed in all day...except for my brief foray out on the ramp! This morning I got busy and cleaned some...I cleaned the microwave and also the garbage disposal and generally got the countertops wiped off really good. I did some other things around the house before lunch and then after lunch, I sat in my recliner and stitched. I have made very good headway on the little turkey that I had been stitchng on since Thanksgiving. I'm not quite finished, but getting really close. I have started thinking about what I will pull out to stitch on next. Woody has done his usual crossword puzzles, watched some TV and has been working on his calendar of crossword puzzles...wonder what the date is on that calendar...he doesn't limit himself to just the one for "the" day. He is probably at least a quarter through the year or farther! I found one everyday object that had been eluding me since I put most of Christmas away. I remember putting this item in a place that would be easy to find when I needed it out on the counter again...well, the place didn't stick in my mind. I was looking for something else this morning and looked up on the top shelf in one of the cabinets and there it sat. I'm still wondering what I could have done with my Ov' Glove and two other pot holders...they still haven't surfaced and they weren't put away for Christmas...they just disappeared in everyday use! It's a total mystery to me...but probably like today...I will just come upon them one day! I think that most are ready for all this white stuff to be gone! Tonight we have a wind chill advisory till noon tomorrow...low over night in the single digits and the wind chill below zero! Next week there is a promise of 60° temps and lots of rain...that should get rid of the white that surrounds us now! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Still Mostly White Outside

Do you suppose I asked for all the white outside by decorating for Winter inside?!? I think that most of us are ready for the white to disappear...and it isn't doing that quickly enough. We got above freezing today, but it was cloudy so we didn't have the sun beating down to help with melting. Nathan took Woody to and from dialysis today. They started two hours late and then called me and said that they were only going to do three-hour treatments so he was to be picked up an hour earlier. They plan to do today's schedule again on Saturday...so two hours late and an hour early! Woody got a call this afternoon saying that his Keytruda appointment at TN Oncology needed to be postponed a week because the Keytruda hadn't gotten there. We were glad to hear that as that means we can stay home tomorrow! We have had some rain this afternoon and evening...don't know if it is regular rain or freezing...haven't gone out to check. I just know that the road is as white as it was earlier in the day. At this point it is still above freezing, but is supposed to go down to the upper 20s over night. And, I don't think that it is supposed to reach above freezing tomorrow. While Woody was at dialysis today, I made homemade flour tortillas. Woody had soft tacos for supper. He seemed to enjoy them. He has already settled in for another long winter's nap. I still need to go down and finish cleaning up the kitchen. I took a late nap this afternoon...maybe I can stay awake for a while this evening and be able to stitch a little. Lately once I sit down in my chair, I seem to doze off sooner than I want to! Woody was watching TV when I came upstairs, but I won't be surprised if I find him asleep when I go back down! I guess snowed-in days are lazy days...early to bed, early to rise and naps in between! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Stayed In and Stayed Warm!

According to Weatherbug, we got down to -9° overnight and got up to 23°...maybe. It was a cold one! Our sweet neighbor spent a lot of time over here scraping and shoveling and sweeping our ramp and space where the vehicle will pull up to get Woody...she scraped that place down so that when the sun got to it it would melt due to the blacktop and it did do a pretty good job of continuing to clear that space. Nathan came over and spread more salt...more for traction than melting. I did my part by pouring boiling water over the solid ice sheet that was in front of the back door. Nathan was running errands at Walmart and I added on to his list...batteries, salt, and the all important Swiss cheese for Woody's omelets (I was getting low)...and there is no telling when we will be able to start moving about freely again on our own! Nathan also knocked off some of the icicles that were dripping down onto our front steps. We got to see Abigail and Isaac, as they were along for the ride and errand running and Abigail got to visit with Payton, as he was back at work in Tullahoma today. We did get a call this morning from the dialysis center giving tomorrow's schedule. They are going with the two-hour delay once again. Nathan is going to deliver and return Woody home after his treatment tomorrow. We have had a good lazy snowed-in day. Woody has watched TV, done his usual four crossword puzzles plus others from the crossword calendar he got. I have read, done a little cooking (made meat for tacos...tomorrow I guess it will be make flour tortillas). I continue to pack up items from Christmas. I have almost gotten all the Christmas serving dishes into a box...I plan to put the last few in a box when I go back upstairs. I did take a nap this afternoon. Our sleep was interrupted last night when the power went out...I would have slept through it, but Woody was awake when it happened and called me downstairs to help him out...find a flashlight, etc. I had no idea that the lights had been out, as when he called me they were back on...but before I went back upstairs they went out again...but only for a short time. Our flashlight worked, but was pretty dim...reason we had Nathan get some more batteries today. Melany texted a little while ago that her school system has called off school through Friday. Teachers love snow days...I remember those days of extra time off! I'm not sure what will happen tomorrow. They are now callling for rain...probably freezing rain...could help, but could also make conditions worse. We will see. He has a TN Oncology appointment on Friday afternoon. I confirmed it a little while ago...but may reconsider when we see the conditions Friday! All we can do is plan moment by moment this week! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Above and Beyond

Tonight's photo shows what we look like outside at the end of today...still pretty snowy! Our neighbors went above and beyond anything expected of them today! They showed up before 8 and cleared some more snow from the ramp and around the car. They helped Woody get down the ramp and into the car. Woody was struggling a bit with maneuvering today, but was finally successful getting in the car. I was able to get traction by walking in the snow at the edges of our ramp and hanging onto the handrails! Woody complimented our neighbor on her driving skills when she got us to the dialysis clinic. She did a great job...we appreciated her expertise learned driving in snow in PA and CO! She took me back home and then came and picked me up when dialysis was over and we got Woody back home. I was pretty happy to get him back safely into his recliner! His dialysis went well. I guess we will find out tomorrow what Thursday dialysis has in store for us...sort of hoping for a late start again. Leaving in the daylight really helped! Before we headed back to get Woody our neighbor offered to come early and take me to the store if we needed anything. Then tonight when they found out that garbage service was going to start back up tomorrow, they offered to take our garbage out in case the truck actually comes to our street tomorrow. I hadn't gotten our two bags of trash down to the garbage can so I asked if I could put them outside our back door...and he picked them up from there and rolled the garbage can to the road. What good neighbors!!! We have stuck close to home as we should in this weather except for the dialysis runs and don't plan to move out of the house tomorrow. Stay in and warm...it is going to be very cold over night...single digits with the wind chill below zero. Snow isn't going anywhere over night! Hoping that road conditions will improve with lots of sunshine tomorrow...but the temperatures aren't supposed to get above freezing so...We got 6+ inches of snow...a pretty good snow for Middle TN...again our MI and PA neighbors are very happy. Nathan brought Isaac and Joseph over to our neighborhood so they could do a little sledding on our neighborhood hills...not a lot of traffic in our neighborhood so it is a pretty good place to do a little sledding...at least an area that they were used to in the years past when they lived here. I think the boys had fun! I always loved when we got a "good snow"...as long as we didn't HAVE to go anywhere. This snow isn't quite as enjoyable due to needing to get to dialysis...but so far that has been taken care of for us and we are ever so grateful! To be continued. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! About cautious: being very careful to stay upright out in the snow!

A White and Cold World Outside!

It has pretty much snowed off and on...mostly on since last night around 7pm. I would guess that we have between 4-6 inches. I just know that our neighbor shoveled off our deck and it got recovered about as soon as she was done. Nathan came over mid afternoon and swept it off again and it also has gotten covered again. We waited most of the day to find out what dialysis would do tomorrow. I thought that they would cancel, but finally got the call and they are delaying everyone's start by two hours...so he doesn't have to be at the center till 8:20...at least it will be daylight when he is taken. Our sweet next door neighbors insist that they will do his transporting so that is the plan. They will drive over here in one of their 4-wheel drives and get him loaded up and whisk him off to dialysis. And, will go back at 12:30 to bring him back home. We are so thankful for good neighbors...and neighbors who moved here from PA and know a about driving in the white stuff. Our temperatures will be very cold over night--prediction is low of 8°. Brrrrrrrr You can see in the middle picture that we have had some thawing today despite not getting even to 20°...see the icicles?!? I discovered, when I closed our bedroom curtains, that our neighbors across the street had made a pretty snow ange...last picture. It is very pretty, but I would enjoy it more if we had no reason to go out in it! When Nathan was here, he said that he would come back in the morning, but then on his way home he had battery trouble in their 4-wheel drive so guess it is good that our neighbors had volunteered!!! I have packed Christmas items away during the day. Nathan carried up the boxes of ornaments that were still in the living room. My winter decor is complete in the living room and dining room...just in time to enjoy it during this snow! I did put up the corner tree. Graham helped me get it together...I always have trouble with the stand on this tree and from the time we got this tree Graham has been the one to put it together. He happened to come over yesterday with his dad to use the low temperature melt salt on our walkway, front steps and ramp and part of the driveway. They came at just the right time! Woody had a quiet day...his main efforts were to keep warm! And, so far we are all snug and cozy. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Our faucets are dripping and cabinets under sinks have doors open.

The Tree Corner is Bare!

The tree is down...BUT...NOT...back in its box...the branches are stacked up around the living room. Carrying them up to the tree box is beyond me today. i am done in for the day! i also got the last of the ornaments into boxes...one way or another. So a lot accomplished around here today, but...looks pretty messy since boxes and tree branches need to be carried upstairs. Woody hada good dialysis day. He heard lots of tLk among the nurses. it looks like they have plans in place for Monday...Woody said they kept talking about working Sunday. I imagine they are having the Monday patients come in Sunday since the snow storm is supposed to happen on Monday. Not sure where that leaves Tuesday patients. But i think we have transportation worked out as long as roads are safe for 4-wheel drive. Our one neighbor on one side of us came over to talk to me as he was concerned as to how we would handle snow and getting to dislysis. Later the new family who live in Nathan and Kathy's old house, stopped by and offered to tale him...they have 4-wheel drive and moved here from PA, so know about driving in snow. As long this doesn't get a layer of southern ice under the snow, we should be good to go! Good neighbors are such a blessing! Woody's dialysis went well today. So all in all, we have both had a good day. He has settled in for the night. I'm about to go fix myself a cup of herbal tea and head upstairs for the night. I hope to either stitch or read...BUT I'm afraid that my eyes may close before I get very far with either! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Rainy and Windy Day

Just as predicted we had quite a bit of rain and wind today. We had to go out into the midst of it mid morning. We didn't get too wet! When we got there, they said that they thought that we might call to reschedule...two other patients had done just that. One positive thing about that...we were ushered into a room immediately...but the appointment didn't go a lot faster than it usually does. There was another patient there who needed some extra care so we pretty much ended up on the regular schedule, as if we had had to sit in the waiting room for a while. We will keep on with what we have been doing, except that he isn't going to wear the brace that he has been wearing as it isn't staying in place and keeps sliding down...his thigh is too skinny to keep it in place! She has recommended that we consult someone who could make a custom brace for the weak part of his leg. I will make that call next week. We continue to be impressed with the local Vanderbilt/Harton wound care...so caring and knowledgeable and willing to take the time necessary with each patient. Today was a breakfast-sausage-making day for me. Woody wanted French toast when he got home from the doctor which means he wants sausage with it...so he had a late lunch so I could put together the meat mixture and then cook a few so he could have those with his French toast. I just finished cooking the rest of the sausage patties. Now I'm waiting for them to cool so I can slide them into the freezer on a cookie sheet to flash freeze and then I will put them in a freezer zip-loc bag and keep them in the freezer till needed. After getting lunch, I plamned to cotinue on the tree, but I was too tired from our wet morning outing that I ended up just looking at the tree and then decided that it was nap time! Since I had the nap, perhaps I will be able to work on it a little more this evening...though, my recliner and heating pads are calling my name! Maybe I can resist them for a little while after I get the kitchen cleaned up. There is no wound care for me to do this evening since they did the wound care at the the center this morning. The temperatures stayed mild today, but are in the process of dropping...supposed to get into the 20s overnight...I'm hoping that the ramp doesn't get icy! I swept puddles off the level part of the ramp and then salted the whole length...hoping that will do the trick. The ramp is the only way that I can get Woody out of the house. Woody has felt well today. He did take a nap this afternoon, too. I guess the wet outing got to both of us! Tomorrow's low temp in the 20s is nothing compared to what is predicted for the first days of next week...not supposed to get above freezing and supposed to be down in the teens and perhaps even in single digits...not something to look forward to at 6am! The temperatures will be able to be tolerated as long as snow and ice doesn't also come into the picture! We won't borrow trouble...yet! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Better Day

Woody's dialysis went according to pan today...in and out in his usual four hours. He said that his blood pressure was a little high at the start. He did ask if his allergy med that he has been taking could be the culpert for high BP...and, they said that it could...so we are eliminating that med and hoping that his nose will stop running on its own! He didn't ask what he might take instead. Today was the day that I chose to cook the Boston Butt roast. It took almost six hours and ended up being as tender as can be. I just finished pulling it. We have two large contnainers of pulled pork. We both had some for supper...Woody had his in pita bread using Linda's grandson's BBQ sauce. He gave a thumbs up to Bo's BBQ sauce, Linda! I worked more on the tree and it is "almost" emptied of ornaments...probably more on it than I think...but the end is in sight for the tree. I might have finished, but I needed to go to the grocery store this afternoon. Well, I could have waited, but today was the best day weather wise to go so decided to take advantage of the sunshine and decent temperatures...rain is on its way along with more wind and perhaps storms...followed by plumetting temperatures...they are prediting single digits next week. We don't look forward to that. Tomorrow we wil probably have to face rain when we go for his wound care appointment...don't look forward to going out in the rain either! I'll post the latest photos of my face. I will say that I got by with no explanations as to what was wrong with my face on any of my errands today...must be getting better...and it is...I think you will see...just ready for all the marks to disappear! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Look Who's Twelve!

Late with the blog tonight as we were waiting for the birthday boy to show up for his gift. All but Abigail stopped by after church tonight. We gave Isaac a book and he left the fray of family and TV and started reading it. Poor Joy was with them, but still not feeling the greatest after having her wisdom teeth out on Monday...she's not her smiley self...yet...may be a while! They didn't stay too long as they were heading home to open his presents and have pumpkin pie (Isaac's request over cake.). Abigail was joining them so all would be together...the first time today that they could all get together to celebrate Isaac! Busy family! Our day went well. It seems that Woody still has a brain. Today was the culmination of the brain study that he has been participating in since he agreed to it while in ICU at Vanderbilt December 2022. At that time he agreed to donate his brain to science upon his death...so they have been doing follow-ups with us since his hospitalization. It partly had to do with confusion that happens when one is in ICU for a length of time. Today he pretty much showed her that he can still use his brain...and, we have now graduated from them coming to the house to ask him all kinds of silly questions. This time the meeting "only lasted 1-1/2 hours...the first time it lasted 2 hours. Maybe he was quicker with his answers this far out from his hospital stay!?! I have continued to remove ornaments from the tree. It's getting barer, but there are still quite a lot to take off. Nathan took the last few off the top that I was going to have to get on a step ladder to get...probably safer him getting them off...considering my fall record over the last month! Three weeks tomorrow and my eyes are still a bit black. If I think about it tomorrow night, I will put a picture of me at the end to give a three week update. Woody has felt fine today. I'm hoping that he will have a better dialysis treatment tomorrow than Tuesday's! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Very Windy Day

I am hesitant to comment on the times when Woody has a good day, as so often the next day ends up not so great! He was fine before going to dialysis this morning, but at the beginning of dialysis his blood pressure was a bit high, and by the end it was too low. The nurse said that he almost passed out. She did give him a bolus of saline and he finally got dismissed from the dialysis room...he stayed in almost an hour beyond what he usually does. He said, when he came out, that all he wanted to do was get home and lie down and get something to eat. And, that is what we did. He feels some better, but he hasn't done much but rest this afternoon...first in his recliner and then transferred over to the couch so he could really lie down. I still think that they are pulling too much fluid from him during his treatment. They aren't taking into consideration that he is eating more and should be gaining weight. They are tuned in to weight gain meaning water retention. I did talk with his nurse today and told her that he is eating much more than he had been and she said they would look into changing his dry weight, the number they use ti decide how much fluid to pull off each treatment. He did have a different nurse today and maybe she did some things differently. I am still plugging alomg with undecorating. Working on the big tree now. Have taken a lot of decorations off...but you can hardly tell! My back knows that I have made many trips around the tree today! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

When the Wind Blows!

We have had a really good day...now if we don't blown away. We are in a wind advisory...the last I heard the winds were blowing at 21.9 mph and we have been told it could get up to 50...guess we had better hold onto our hats! We have had some rain...while I was in prayer meeting and are due for some more...I believe heavy at times. We have had so little rain of late that we hardly know what to do when it does rain! I'm glad to see it, though, I am hoping that there will be a window of no rain and not much wind when we head out tomorrow morning in the wee hours. But we will deal with whatever! Luckily at the center we are under a cover when I get him out of the car and into the center. I continue to undecorate/decorate. This morning I made an adaptation of a sweet bread of my mother's. It turned out pretty well despite me leaving it in the oven a bit long. Linda H. came over for lunch...she stopped at Arbys on her way over so Arby's classic roast beef sandwiches were on the menu for our lunch. And, some of the sweet bread and some of the chocolates that were gifted me at Christmas were our dessert. We had a nice visit. I think that Woody is more like his "old self" lately...good to see. His appetite is definitely picking up...he claims that I'm not feeding him enough...I'm trying!!!! Tonight I went to Monday Night Furnace Room Prayer Meeting. When I got home, I dressed Woody's wound and applied the antibiotic cream below the wound. I had washed his bed linens today so made his bed and he is now all tucked away for the night. I am ready to sit in my chair for the rest of the night...hoping to stitch a little and maybe read a little. I am reading a book that was about to be taken back into cyber space...but I was allowed to renew it, which means that now I am not under the crunch to read, read, read! I think that I feel like stitch, stitch, stitch tonight! Tomorrow is dialysis early and then the rest of the day is open...my day more open than Woody's, as I'm not tied to a machine for four hours. I plan to work more on the house. Today I took more decorations off the big tree. I am still thinking that I will put up the corner tree...have more plans for that tree than just wintry objects...can see Valentines and Easter/Spring and summer and patriotic and fall and then we would be back to Christmas and the big tree...just thoughts so far...but I can see the tree box and the box of wintry ornaments in the Christmas closet...almost can get to them...just have to move a couple of other boxes and I can do the damage that I am thinking about doing. One thing that I did today was pull off the big tree any ornaments that would be appropriate on a Valentine tree and also ornaments that would work on a Spring/Easter tree...call me crazy! Going to box or bag them up so I can get to them "if" I end up carrying out this perhaps crazy idea! Let's just say that all this craziness is making the putting away of Christmas much more fun! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

15th Blogaversary!

15 years ago tonight I wrote the first blog...5020 posts...that's a lot of words! A lot of water under the bridge since I started this. As to the start of the 16th year...what will it have in store for us? Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Here's what I wrote all those years ago...an explanation for the blog and some background for some who haven't been with us since the beginning: January 7, 2009: A FORK IN THE ROAD: WHICH WAY SHOULD WE TURN? I am beginning this blog so that our family and friends will be able to keep up with us during Woody's melanoma treatments. Woody found out Monday (Jan. 5) that the bones in his arm haven't healed sufficiently--so he will need further surgery--bone grafts and a plate. His orthopedist and his melanoma doctor conferred and for the time being that surgery will be put on hold so he can get started on his melanoma treatments. To back up a bit for those who haven't been in on the story from the beginning: Sept. 15th (2008) Woody was in a very bad bicycle accident--he will be the first to tell you that it was caused by a woman driver! He was going along at a pretty fast clip (between 20 and 25 mph). He saw a car approaching so he moved over to the paved shoulder. The driver turned in front of him immediately after passing him. He ended up braking to avoid hitting the car or vice-versa and the pavement broke his fall and he ended up with a compound fracture of both bones in his lower left arm just above the wrist. The orthopedist, Dr. Fiala, attempted to put the bones back together--but lots of bone was left along the side of the road. Dr. Fiala described what was left at the ends of the broken bones as cornflakes! Woody had surgery on Sept. 15th and a bar (external fixture) and pins were placed in his arm and hand to keep the bones in alignment with hopes that the bones would regenerate. So it has been almost 4 months since the accident. The bar and pins were removed Monday, Jan. 5. He now has a soft, half cast on the lower arm to protect it until he can have the surgery. Early in November, he felt a soft knot behind his ear and immediately called to set up an appointment with his dermatologist. Woody acted swiftly due to the melanoma that he had had removed from his forehead 2 1/2 years ago. The dermatologist told him that he was sure that it wasn't anything, but due to his history he needed to have it surgically removed. It was removed the week before Thanksgiving. We received a call (after 8pm) from the surgeon on the Monday after Thanksgiving telling us that it was melanoma. The surgeon set up an appointment with Dr. John Zubkus, an oncologist in Murfreesboro. At our first visit Dr. Zubkus set up P.E.T. and CT scans. Those scans showed hot spots in several places in his body. Dr. Zubkus got Woody an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Sosman, the head of melanoma research at Vanderbilt. We found out the results of the scans on Dec. 23 and we were seeing Dr. Sosman on Dec. 26th--so once in a while initial appointments with a doctor can happen quickly! Dr. Sosman has put forth several options that Woody can choose to try--and that is the reason that I call this post "a fork in the road." Dr. Sosman put things on hold till Woody found out about how his arm was healing at the January 5th orthopedist appointment. The treatments that Woody has to choose from would not aid in bones healing. But now that the bones aren't healing, I imagine that we will be going forth posthaste with melanoma treatments and look at surgery on his arm at a date after he has recovered sufficiently from treatments. We will be returning to Dr. Sosman on Monday, Jan. 12, at which time I am pretty sure decisions will be made about which treatment/s Woody will be taking. None of the options will be any fun. Woody will be in for the fight of his life. Once Woody chooses which treatment/s, I will explain more about it/them. We ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Lois

Day 12 of 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Memories

And, today we reach the 12th day of Christmas. January 6th is called Epiphany and is the dqy that tradition says that the Three Kings visited with Mary and Jospeh and preaented baby Jesus with their gifts. This day culminates the Christmas season. Now to share a memory about Epiphany. It was tradition in my family to take Christmas decorations down on January 1st...and, I always dreaded that day...dreaded it after I married and it was my reaponsibility to get them taken down! One year when I mentioned how much I disliked seeing January 1 come and what it meant, one of my fellow teachers shared that she and her family always waited till adter Epiphany to take down their Christmas. I decided that I would adopt this tradition and that way enjoy the end of a year and the start of another without getting into a mess for at least a few more days! These days, I tend to undecorate when the mood strikes me. But rarely on January 1st! I always say that my goal is to have everything put away by Valentine's Day! I have made more headway today with indecorating and redecorating...still a mess but progress! I will probably regret what I am doing. I have made the decision to pay tribute to Winter and am decoeating some of my tables with trees and snowmen...so it still looks decorated...that way the change from decoations to no decorations isn't so stark! But...this also means that I will still have more undecorating to do and have to figure out how to keep boxes where I can get to them to put what I have left out away! I have had a crazy idea this afternoon. I have a corner tree that we used to use in the family room and then for some years I used it in the living room instead of the big tree. And, when I used the corner tree, I used handmade ornaments on it...not the ornaments that I used to use on it in the family room...the theme of that tree was snowflakes and snowmen...perfect for my Winter theme!!!! So...maybe...I will put that tree up...still mulling that over in my mind! Woody had a very good day at dialysis. He said that everything went perfectly. But...this afternoon soon after lunch he got sick...the first time in more than a month that he has gotten sick. It is a week after Keytruda...so...maybe. Keytruda treatment before this he did not get sick in the following week...so I was questioning my theory...but now I will keep a watch on it. He is feeling fine this evening. Ruth came by for a visit this afternoon. It was nice to sit and visit and move away from the undecorating...she offered to help...but I told her a break from it was what would help the most! Woody has been working on his crossword puzzles. He has started his daily crossword puzzle calendar. You think your year moves fast...his really moves fast if you judge by the day that it is on this calendar! He does multiple days in one...it will keep him busy for a while...but not for a year! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious. And, with this blog, we will bid good-bye to 'Tis the season till later in the year!

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Memories

As we wind down the Christmas season, I am posting one last Nativity. This is a memory of long time friendship. Tonight's nativity ornament is done by the artist Jim Shore. I have several more of his nativity ornaments on my tree along with several other ornaments/decorations from his collection. The ornaments are all gifts from Connie...my tree is absolutely full of memories of her friendship over the years. Connie is my long-time Tullahoma friend who has moved to Alabama. We still keep in touch and talk and text often. She has gifted many, many ornaments over the 40+ years of our frendship...both specially chosen and many, many done by her own hands. Connie and I are sewing and stitching buddies, which can thankfully continue long distance due to the ease of communication these days. We have had a fairly quiet day...nothing on the docket that made Woody need to leave the house. I did get lured to the grocery store down the street as they have Boston Butt Roasts on sale for 99¢/lb...and I had just used the last of our pulled pork in the enchiladas that I made over the holidays. This is the store that also carries the ground pork that has no added saline solution so I can use it for Woody's breakfast sausage so I grabbed a couple of pounds of that while I was there. Now to get up the energy to cook the roast in a slow overn for a loooooong period of time. The cooking isn't the problem. The problem comes with having enough energy to pull it when it is finished! Didn't happen today...maybe tomorrow. After all, as Scarlett says, tomorrow is another day! I have really gotten underway with undecorating. The Precious Moments Nativity is back in boxes and ready to be stored away till I decorate for Christmas later in the year. I have made a lot of progress in other areas, too. The kitchen almost has no lingering Christmas...just a couple more things to remove. The dining room table is covered with things that need to be put away, but that will happen as boxes continue to be brought out. The china cabinet has all the Christmas items removed from behind its doors. I haven't gotten to Caroler boxes so they are still singing from their spots in the living room. There will be no annual gathering on the coffee table for one last sing this year, as I have already put things on the coffee table that will stay. I am going with a winter theme on the coffee table and also on the buffet and dining room table...that way it isn't such a shock when all is gone. I will admit that I am ready to have my counter space back in the kitchen. Things look a little bare but that is okay! I will get used to this new pared down look pretty quickly, I am sure. I have made many trips up and down the stairs. I am ready for the last trip up and down here shortly. I will go back down when I post this and start up the dishwasher and attend to Woody's leg. Then I plan to come back up and relax in my recliner. I have done enough for today! Woody finished a thick book of crossword puzzles that Melany and family gave him for his birthday...didn't even take him a month! Now he is working on baseball crosswords. I'm almost afraid to say it, but Woody has had several very good weeks. I think it is because he is eating better and also drinking more than he had been...so probably not as dehydrated as he gets sometimes. 2024 has started ever so much better than last year! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season for one more day!

Day 10 of 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Memories

Tonight I went back to the Christmas Tree for a nativity. This one was given to us by Alex and Brooke, our grandson and his wife. They brought it back after a cruise last year to the Western Carribean. Brooke is a Spanish teacher so she brought us back a nativity from Mexico. This memory makes me appreciative of family and friends who share their travels with us this way! We have had a pretty good day. I guess Woody had a bit of a bump at the end of his dialysis. His lines started to clot off so they have to get his blood rinsed back befor that happens...but they did what they needed to and I think took a blood sample, too, for Dr. O. Anyway, I sat in the waiting room a lot longer than usual and we didn't get home till after 11. The rest of the day has gone smoothly. I guess I am in an organizational mood...maybe something to do with the New Year...or just that I am ready to take down decorations. But today I decided to clean out a section of the buffet in the dining room. I took everything out of one side...dusted and polished the inside and then since there were quite a few items that I took out that needed polishing, I did that, too. I polished lots of silver wedding presents today...I guess a gift of long ago...that no longer is popular...maybe because of the polishing?!?!?! But they surely do look pretty now that they are all shiny. I have purchased some tarnish retarding bags to store them in. They are to arrive in a few days...but they are all clean and shiny. I also removed some things that just didn't need to be in there...things that just got stuck in there when I didn't have any other place to put them. I found other homes for those...or will when I am putting Christmas items away. I have pulled out a few boxs from the Christmas closet and will start boxing up some things tomorrow. I am ready to take down and "get back to normal!" Woody has watched TV, helped me make a decision about a birthday present, and, of course, worked crossword puzzles. When I took a break this afternoon, I picked my stitching back up for a little while and also read some more on my current book, my first book for 2024. Last year I read a total of 44 books...didn't quite meet my goal of a book a week, but that's okay. I never read as much when I am in a stitching mode...though this year I did listen to more books...which I can do while I stitch. I'm heading down to put antibiotic ointment on Woody's leg and see how it has fared not being covered for the whole day. I think it will be fine and it hasn't seemed to bother him. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season for two more days!

Day 9 of 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Memories

Tonight's Christmas memories center around the children at Christmas. This Nativity music box with Baby Jesus surrounded by baby animals just makes me smile. I, again, think of friendships as it was gifted us by the Hastys many years back. It plays "Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem. It has been wound many times over the years and listened to by each of us, but especially by the children. That is why I paired it with one of the many Christmas books that we read to Melany and Nathan and then to the grandchildren. We have had a fairly quiet day. I just did a little of this a little of that around the house today. I managed to stitch some both in the morning and in the afternoon. I am well underway with my latest stitching choice. I got Woody's lunch and then headed out for my hair appointment. I was really ready for a hair cut after five weeks between cuts when I usually get it cut every four weeks...a good deed done! When I came home, I started getting things ready for our telemed appointment...TV tray to put the iPad on and made sure that settings were working on my iPad with the Vanderbilt telemed system. Then I went back upstairs and stitched a little more before it was time for the appointment. This time the appointment was a lot closer to ontime that it has been in the past. The infectious disease doctor was pleased that Woody's wound seems to be about the same and she felt like we can stop bandaging the lower part of his leg...just put antibiotic ointment on it. I am glad as I have been checking into having to purchase bandaging materials that wound care wanted and it was very expensive per bandage...between $3 and #5 per bandage and we were to change the bandage daily. They are no longer able to provide them for us due to some rule of Medicare so...that meant we were going to have to purchase them. Last night I was checking around and 100 of the bandages cost almost $500...all I could think was that there has to be a better aka cheaper way to go about this. And, Dr. Allos came up with that plan...no bandage at all!!!! I'm glad to go along with her plan. Now we will see what wound care thinks when we go back to see them next week! I have felt for some time that the bandage was harming the skin more than helping it...but I'm not the wound care doctors so went along with them...now infectious disease agreed with me...so we will see how his leg does over the next week without a bandage and see if wound care agrees with us!!! I rebandaged his open wound below his knee and applied antibiotic ointment below that on his leg, after the telemed appointment so that job is done for today...not a before-bed nursing duty for today. We have had supper. I will go load up supper dishes in the dishwasher and then do what else Woody needs done before bed. Then I am coming back upstairs to stitch and read. I haven't done much today, but I am tired...well, I didn't have an afternoon snooze...maybe that is why! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season...for a few more days.

Day 8 of 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Memories

Tonight's nativity and memory takes me back to the grandchildren in years gone by. When Erin and Alex were small (They are now 30 and 26!), Veggie Tale videos came on the scene. I can remember checking out the VHS tapes from the church library for Erin and Alex when they came to our house for visits. On down the line Nathan's children also enjoyed them...at least through the first four or so...not sure that they were still popular when the last two or three were young. VHS tapes have gone out of style...they were introduced as DVDs also, but now even DVDs are going out...though we do still have DVD players in our household. This nativity "stars" Laura the Carrot as Mary, Junior Asparagus as Joseph, a French pea as baby Jesus, Larry the Cucumber as a wiseman and Bob the tomato as a shepherd and another French pea as an angel. I got this nativity for the children as part of the Pickle Present one year. The Pickle Present is another memory! The first child who found the pickle on our tree at our family Christmas got to open the Pickle Present...which consisted of gifts that stayed at our house for them to play with when they came over...sometimes games...sometimes a nativity...as a matter of fact two nativities...both the Veggie Tales and also the Fisher Price Nativity. We have had a good day...mostly a lazy day once dialysis was over. I have stitched quite a bit and Woody has done multiple crossword puzzles. Tomorrow is a stay at home day for Woody. I do have my hair appointment tomorrow so I will leave the house for that. Woody has his appointment with his Infectious Disease doctor from Nashville's Vanderbilt, but it is a telemed appointent. That will happen mid afternoon. I am going to go back downstairs after I publish the blog to finish up in the kitchen for the day and then change Woody's dressings on his leg. Then we will call it a night. I will stitch a little more and maybe read a little before it is lights out. And, Woody will probably do another puzzle or two and watch a little more TV before he tells Alexa to turn out his lights! His dialysis went well this morning, though they did have to do a bolis of saline toward the end of his treatment...not sure exactly what it was caused by. He said that his blood pressure started out a bit high...but if they had to bolis at the end that meant that it went low...have not a clue. But he has been fine the rest of the day. So...alls well that ends well! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season...for just a few more days!

Day 7 of 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Memories

This nativity was given to me by a long time church friend...reminds me...What would we do without our church family! Woody and I wish you God's richest blessings in 2024! we have had a very quiet day...good day for crossword puzzles and TV watching for Woody. I have enjoyed pur decoratons for another day...I sat and read in the living room for a while and once again enjoyed being surrounded by our decorations. I did make a pot of soup...started out the year with Woody's favorite...J.Hatheway's Italian Sausage Soup. That's what we had for lunch along with some Frito scoops and Mississippi Caviar. So we have had our black-eyed peas to start the new year. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season...still.